The Strains of Love
by Kathy Rose
Summary: Sometimes forgetting an old flame is a matter of finding a new one. Written for the Valentine's Challenge at The Delphic Expanse.


(AUTHOR'S NOTE: Set in Season 2. Lines in italic are song lyrics from the Valentine's Day challenge playlist for a challenge at The Delphic Expanse. Beta'd by Honeybee.)

Trip didn't mind missing out on shore leave. He could get a lot of needed maintenance done while everyone else, including most of his staff, was down on the planet. The library-like quiet in his department, with the warp engine offline and no pending major repairs, was a nice change of pace.

Truth be told, he was glad that he wasn't going on shore leave. There had been a number of romances brewing since Enterprisehad launched. Any up-close observations of such behavior, especially today, would only depress him further.

Trip hadn't realized what an awkward, painful holiday Valentine's Day could be until he didn't have someone special and others around him did. Last year at this time, he'd been so certain what his future had in store as far as his love life went, but that letter he'd received from Natalie had changed everything. Ever since he'd woken up this morning and had realized what day it was, he'd been plagued by thoughts of her.

He could understand why she had decided to break it off, what with him traveling the stars and possibly being gone for years. He couldn't get away from the fact, however, that after the initial shock of the rejection had worn off, there was still a dull ache whenever he thought about her._ I can't seem to find a pretty little face I left behind, _he thought with regret.

He also knew that he was likely to screw something up if he kept thinking about all the could-have-beens with Natalie while he was trying to work. A break would do him some good. Putting aside his tools, he left Engineering and headed for the mess hall.

There wasn't a soul in the corridors, and the mess hall was also deserted when he walked in. He got coffee from the beverage dispenser, took a seat at a table near one of the large windows, and gazed out at the view. They were orbiting a large, luscious, uninhabited planet circled by a solitary moon. _I watched the world float to the dark side of the moon. I feel there is nothing I can do. _He shook his head, trying to banish thoughts of Natalie but failing miserably.

He was grateful for the distraction when the door to the mess hall opened. Trip waited for Malcolm, who had been left in command by Captain Archer, to get a cup of tea and join him before asking, "If you're here, who's mindin' the ship?"

"I thought I'd let Travis have a few minutes in the big chair," said Malcolm, the corners of his eyes crinkling with humor.

Trip chuckled. Travis had the makings of a good commander, but he was still a little skittish about being left in charge. "I'm surprised he's not taking shore leave. Wasn't he flying shuttlepod runs for the happy revelers?"

"His plans for shore leave ran into an obstacle." Malcolm took a sip of his tea before continuing. "He saw Ensign Naman holding hands with Ensign Foster in the launch bay before the last departure."

Trip winced in sympathy. "Ouch! Travis did have it bad for her."

"'Did' being the key word. The poor bloke_ can't ever keep from falling apart at the seams, _not when something like this happens, so he opted to stay on the ship." Malcolm looked at Trip over the rim of his cup. "So what's your excuse for staying on board instead of cavorting in a tropical paradise?"

"I, uh, wanted to get caught up on some work."

Malcolm looked at him askance.

"All right," Trip admitted. "I wasn't in the mood for shore leave. Not today. And to top it all off, I've got a song stuck in my head that reminds me of Natalie."

"Something suitably morose, I expect." Malcolm suddenly snorted. "Well, at least you're not pining away for Ruby. If you were, the song would probably be that risque ditty Phlox was listening to in sickbay."

"Oh? Some new form of therapy involving music?" Trip asked.

"No," Malcolm said, shaking his head. "Phlox is doing a research paper on the effect of Earth music on human mating rituals."

Trip rolled his eyes. "Why am I not surprised? The song he was listening to reminded you of Ruby?"

_"_Very much so._ 'I'm_ _loving what you wanna wear, I wonder what's up under there?'" _Malcolm quoted with a suggestive wiggle of his eyebrows.

Trip couldn't help but laugh. He'd definitely appreciated some of the outfits Ruby had worn. She'd had a penchant for clingy blouses and short skirts. "Gawd, Malcolm! I still can't believe we dated the same waitress."

"I think Ruby dated half the men in Starfleet. Do you remember that song she used to hum all the time when she was working?" Malcolm asked.

"How could I forget!" Trip said with a huge grin. "_'__Gimme all your lovin', all your hugs and kisses too.'"_

With Ruby, he recalled fondly, it had been all fun and flirtation, and very physical. Even while they'd been dating, though, he hadn't truly believed she was the one. _But it's just a temporary high 'cause when I close my eyes, I'm somewhere with you_.

"Damn," he muttered. "Now I've got another song running through my mind that reminds me of Natalie."

Malcolm's cup clinked on the tabletop as he set it down. "What you need is to find someone else, and the sooner, the better."

Trip stared at him in frank amusement. "I can't believe that you, of all people, are offering me advice on my love life, especially since it would involve fraternization. The only potential love interests available to me are people I work with, and I outrank all of them. That could be considered harassment if I try to start a relationship." He narrowed his eyes. "There is someone on board who sparks your interest, though. Maybe you ought to follow your own advice, Malcolm."

"If you're talking about our first officer," the other man retorted, "_it's just a little crush_. You can't fault me for appreciating her admirable assets."

"Like her admirable bum?" Trip asked.

"Admirable, indeed." Malcolm sighed theatrically. "But nothing will ever come from it. I would never approach her about a personal relationship."

"Of course not," Trip said. "Being Vulcan, she'd turn you down so quick your head would spin."

Malcolm smiled wryly. "True. She would give me one of those looks." He leaned toward Trip. "You know, the kind that-"

Whatever he was going to say died in his throat as the subject of their discussion entered the mess hall and walked briskly toward them.

Trip glanced at Malcolm. A blush was spreading up the man's neck, which went a long way toward relieving his own discomfort at T'Pol almost catching them talking about her.

"Commander Tucker, Lieutenant Reed," she greeted them. "You appeared to be deep in a serious discussion. I hope I am not interrupting anything of importance."

"Not at all," Trip replied, trying to keep a straight face as, from the corner of his eye, he saw the blush reach Malcolm's cheeks. "What can we do for you?"

T'Pol ignored him for a moment to look at Malcolm. "Are you in distress? You appear to be running a fever."

"It's nothing, Subcommander," Malcolm managed to rasp. He cleared his throat and indicated his cup of tea. "Ah, I just swallowed something wrong."

She arched an eyebrow, but let the matter drop. She turned toward Trip. "I have been reviewing data from our scans of this planet and have encountered some anomalous readings." She held out a data PADD.

Taking the PADD, Trip murmured, "_Questions of science_." At least this might keep his mind off his lousy love life. He gazed at the information on the screen. Some of the readings were quite unusual. "This doesn't make any sense. Could be a glitch with the scanners."

T'Pol nodded. "I believe that may be the case. With your assistance, I would like to recalibrate the scanners at the first opportunity."

"_You say the word and I'll come runnin'_," Trip told her, returning the PADD to her. "I'm not busy right now."

"So it would appear," she said, her gaze taking in the cups on the table, then returning to Malcolm, whose face was still red. "Are you sure you do not require assistance, Lieutenant?"

"Quite sure, Subcommander," he replied.

"I'll stay with him for a few minutes, just to make sure he's all right," Trip told T'Pol, "then I'll meet you in Engineering. We should run a diagnostic on the main sensor inputs first. They might be gummed up with dust from the shortcut we took through that asteroid belt a few days ago."

She nodded and, giving Malcolm one last glance, turned and left.

"Whew!" Malcolm gasped as the door closed behind her.

"You've really got it bad for her, don't you?" Trip prodded.

"Not at all," Malcolm shot back. "It's just that it's not good form to gossip about your superior officers."

"And get caught doin' it," Trip added.

"Especially that," Malcolm agreed.

Trip got to his feet. "If you're recovered from your little fit, I'll be headin' back to Engineering. Seems like I've got some real work to do."

"With our lovely first officer," Malcolm said with a wicked grin.

"And everyone says I'm incorrigible!" Trip said over his shoulder as he walked away.

As he left the mess hall, Trip considered what Malcolm had suggested. The advice was good as far as it went, but life on a starship could be complicated. A charge of harassment on his record was the last thing he wanted, and the way his luck went, that's probably what would happen if he took a personal interest in any female crew member who was his subordinate. Which was all of them. Well, except for T'Pol...

Don't even go there, he told himself. Him and a Vulcan? Never in a million years!

Still, it was a pleasant fantasy, just like it had been with Ruby. And being with a pretty woman, no matter what species, was sure to improve his mood. How could he possibly think of what's-her-name when T'Pol was with him? Best of all, T'Pol was someone who understood warp mechanics almost as well as he did. She was someone with whom he could work, even though they didn't always agree. Come to think of it, he usually felt invigorated after one of their little spats.

To his relief, he realized he was feeling better. His conversation with Malcolm, followed by the encounter with T'Pol, had definitely lifted his spirits. He started whistling as he reached the entrance to Engineering, then laughed as he recognized the tune: _My heart is on fire. My soul's like a wheel that's turnin'. My love is alive._

Yeah, right, he thought. There wasn't a snowball's chance in hell that anything would ever come of a relationship between him and T'Pol. But that didn't mean he couldn't enjoy his time with her.

(Songs, in order used: Hands All Over, Kryptonite, Come Undone, S.E.X., Gimme All Your Lovin', Somewhere With You, Crush, The Scientist, Ready for My Lovin', and Love is Alive.)


End file.
